Angel
by DarkScales
Summary: After Fred Abberline died, his spirit didn't pass on right away. It had to make a couple detours first. A tribute to one of the only truly pure-hearted characters in the series, who died much too early and much too young. Anime-verse, non-manga compliant. Oneshot.


**So, I recently got into the Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji fandom, and as of now I'm on Episode 21. I just watched Episode 20, and I was really sad about it. WHY?! WHY DID THEY KILL OFF FRED?! Seriously, he was awesome. I think he was one of the only truly pure-hearted characters in the whole series. And I loved the dynamic between him and Ciel; I could totally see them having a pseudo-father/son relationship. Kind of like Parental!RoyEd in Fullmetal Alchemist. So I was sad when he died. And then he left behind a soon-to-be-wife and unborn kid... yeah, tragic. And there's virtually no fanfiction for him, too. So this piece was written in tribute to Fred, who is much more than just another minor character to me.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji, because first off- if I owned it, Fred wouldn't have died. He would have LIVED! I really hope he doesn't die in the manga, too. Then I'll be very sad.**

* * *

_Frederick Abberline_

_1853-1888_

_Status: Deceased_

As dusk fell, a strange figure could be seen on the streets of London. It was, for the most part, a rather ordinary-looking young man wearing a bowler hat, a green tie on a white shirt, and a dark grey trench coat. His head was topped with shaggy auburn hair, and his features were soft and kind. Blue eyes flickered from side to side, as if searching for something- or someone -as he wandered through the crowded streets.

But, as the ordinary-looking man continued his search, any observer could see that he had two rather... _extraordinary_ qualities. The first was the way nobody looked _at _him- rather, instead they looked _through _him. The edges of his form seemed to be blurred as well, like a bad picture. And at times, when the edges of his coat flapped in the wind… one would almost think that they could see _through_ the material to whatever was behind it.

The second, though- _that_ was the obvious one. The one that anybody watching (assuming they could see him) would notice first. This second extraordinary quality came in the form of two, enormous white wings that arched high over the man's head, then curved down so low they almost brushed the ground. At the moment they were folded tightly against the man's back, feathers rustling slightly in the breeze. They seemed to almost glow with an ethereal light, pure and innocent as fresh snow.

By now, the man had come to a small house tucked away in a relatively nice part of town. He turned and stopped in front of the door, a melancholy expression on his face. His lips moved, but no sound came out. Passers-by, though, would swear that, for a moment, they heard something. It was only one word, but the sadness in his voice made it stand out in their memories, even though, to them, there was no one there. That word was a name- "_Maria_."

Then, the man- no, _angel_ -vanished completely, reappearing with a slight breeze inside the small home. His gaze was instantly drawn to a young woman sitting at the table in the middle of the room, with long, light brown hair and sky blue eyes. Her belly was rounded in a way that showed she was obviously pregnant, and at the moment she was sobbing as she clutched a small black-and-white framed photograph to her chest. "Fred…" she whispered softly.

The angel, known in life as Frederick Abberline (Fred for short- he had always hated being called Frederick) frowned as he moved towards the woman, Maria, who had been his fiancée. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, and even though she couldn't see him, perhaps she subconsciously registered his presence. For her sobs slowed, stopped, and a strange warmth filled her, not unlike when her former soon-to-be-husband held her in his arms. The angel bent down and whispered in her ear, then, reluctantly, raised his hand and left. And for a moment, the woman could almost swear that she had heard her lost love's voice.

"_I will always be with you and our child, Maria, in your hearts."_

* * *

The sun was almost down by now, a mere sliver of burning fire against the horizon as street lamps began to flicker on. Far across London, in the rich part of town populated only by nobility, the former police officer stood on the side of the road as he watched a young boy with grey-blue hair and expensive clothing walk past.

The boy had one cerulean blue eye on his left, glittering with intelligence far beyond his years. The other was covered with a black eyepatch, but the man knew that if it were to be lifted, underneath he would find a very different eye of glowing lavender, with a five-pointed star surrounded by a spiked circle as its pupil. This mark was the symbol of a contract between him and a demon, a demon who took the form of his butler, Sebastian Michaelis. This butler followed behind him dutifully, as the pair made their way towards the young lord's London home.

Fred, though, watched with a sad smile on his face as the young boy strode past without a second glance. His mind flashed back to a different time, when the boy's face hadn't been cold and emotionless like it was now- when it had been frantic and worried, worried for _him,_ the man who had taken a sword to the chest for his sake. He remembered the pain, the blood, the realization that yes, he was dying, and he wouldn't get to officially marry his Maria, or see his unborn child grow up. But then he saw how his actions had prevented the death of a different child, one that, though he insisted otherwise, was still just a boy. And that made the whole thing worth it.

"_You have another chance, Ciel,"_ he murmured softly. Ciel Phantomhive paused for a second, turning his face towards where Abberline stood. But then he continued, and shook his head as if to rid himself of a strange thought.

His butler, on the other hand…

Sebastian turned towards the angel, crimson eyes slit and glittering demonically. A smile curled across his lips, and he gave the blue-eyed man a short nod.

_Thank you for protecting my master,_ his eyes said.

_It was nothing,_ the angel seemed to reply. _Take care of him, Michaelis. Take care of him._

"_And Ciel… don't forget. You don't always have to be alone."_

Then, Frederick Abberline dissolved into a storm of white feathers that spiraled up towards the heavens. His spirit was now at peace.


End file.
